The things we do for rowing
Unable to compete in what she wished Rosie changed schools.
It was a case of dedication that made rower Rosie Van Der Valden change schools in order to continue her sport.
The 17-year-old has been rowing for three years with two of these being at Aquinas
The former Aquinas rower now rows single and double sculls for Otumoetai College. The decision to change schools was made because of the restrictions made by her previous school.
Both Rosie and her sister Jaqueline (who is also a rower) were unable to row the boats they wanted because of restrictions placed on them.
Rosie says that there was a conflict because they rowed at different clubs.
This meant that she was unable to row double sculls and her sister could not row in the quads. “So to avoid the hassle we just changed schools.”
Rosie competed in both the single and double sculls on Monday. She placed 2nd in the single sculls and third in the doubles. She will be competing in the semis for the single sculls on Thursday.
She has high hopes for this year as she believes in the coach.
The 17-year-old competed in Twizel last year getting into two B finals
